Homemade Goldfish Crackers

Classic Snacks Made From Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats is a fun cookbook that features many of your favorite childhood snacks. Ever dreamed of making your own Hostess® Chocolate Cupcakes or Nutter Butters? From sweet snacks to salty (like Wheat Thins and Cheetos) this book has it all! Best of all, you'll know what's going into these home baked tasty treats - no additives or preservatives. Grab a copy today and have fun making some of those childhood favorites. Below is a recipe for one of my all-time favorite snacks with an excerpt from the book.

Goldfish® Crackers

"I love fishes cause they’re so delicious!” Was there ever a more accurate jingle in the history of Saturday-morning snack food commercials? The light crunch, adorable shape, and notably unfried makeup meant kids could nearly always con their parents into buying a bag for the lunchbox. We are all utterly powerless in the face of Goldfish. And can’t we all agree that the Cheddar fish are the top dog in Goldfish flavors?

YIELD: 10 to 15 dozen crackers (depending on cookie-cutter size)
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
DIFFICULTY: 2
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: goldfish-shaped cookie cutter (see source below)

1 cup (4 ounces) very finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
½ cup (21⁄8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup (21⁄8 ounces) cake flour
1 tablespoon Cheddar cheese powder (see page 12)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ cup whole or reduced-fat milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

MAKE THE DOUGH:
Stir the cheese, flours, Cheddar powder, salt, baking powder, and onion powder together in a large bowl until the cheese is evenly distributed and coated. Add the milk and vegetable oil and continue to stir with a spatula, then knead in the bowl with your hands until a cohesive dough forms. It will be crumbly at first, but continue to press and knead the dough until any dry bits are incorporated.

Transfer the dough to your work surface, cover with the upside-down bowl, and let rest for 10 minutes.

MAKE THE CRACKERS:
Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Refrigerate one piece while you roll the second piece as thin as humanly possible, no more than ⅛ inch thick. (The thinner your dough, the crispier your crackers will be; thicker dough means puffier, more bread-like crackers.)

Stamp out cracker shapes with your cookie cutter of choice: a fish is the traditional shape, of course, but the crackers taste just as good as hearts, stars, circles, or small squares. Transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until the crackers are crispy and just turning golden at the edges. The timing will vary according to the size and shape of your crackers. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

The crackers will soften when kept in an airtight container, so they’re best eaten within a day or two.

YOUR OWN SCHOOL OF FISH
Want a tiny goldfish cookie cutter to make your crackers look just like the real thing? Find the perfect version at coppergifts.com.